Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST JORDAN — A man who police say got into a fight with his girlfriend and fired a gun next to her head may face attempted murder charges.
Charles Scott Blunt, 28, of West Jordan, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of attempted murder and theft.
A woman told police that she was asleep on an air mattress when Blunt woke her up and the two began arguing, according to a jail booking affidavit.
“She stated Charles was angry because she told him she had reported a prior domestic violence incident,” according to the affidavit.
The woman told investigators that she had originally told Blunt not to come home. But when he entered the house, he was holding a handgun, the affidavit states. When the woman attempted to call 911, Blunt took her cellphone from her.
“After taking the phone from her, he pinned her down against an air mattress in the living room by her neck, placed the gun above her head and shot just to the right of her right ear,” the affidavit states. “There was a bullet hole in a piece of wood furniture next to the air mattress. She stated her eardrum was ruptured and she knew this because West Jordan Fire Department told her.”
Police noted a wound to the woman’s head “approximately 2 inches up from her right ear and another visible one on her ear that she said was caused from the bullet he fired. The victim received multiple stitches from the bullet wound on her head,” the affidavit states.
Blunt left the residence but was later arrested by West Jordan police.
According to court records, Blunt was convicted of assault and witness tampering in another domestic violence-related incident in 2016. Blunt became angry at another woman who was his girlfriend at the time, according to charging comments, while at a fast-food restaurant. He pinched the woman and hit her with his hat before making her get out of his car and driving off, the charges state. After the woman called police, Blunt texted her and told her to call police back and drop it, the charges state. He was sentenced to a year of probation.
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting the YWCA’s Women in Jeopardy program at 801-537-8600, or the confidential statewide Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online at udvc.org.
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
